Reason 28

28. Because beautiful, familiar Catholic hymns which have inspired people for centuries, have been thrown out and replaced with new hymns strongly Protestant in sentiment, further deepening the already distinct impression that one is no longer attending Catholic function.


For the first time I want to say that this objection, to one degree, does not go far enough. For not only are there hymns Protestant in sentiment, there are hymns Protestant in creation. It is not uncommon for truly Protestant music to be sung at the Catholic Mass.

But does this reflect on the quality of the New Mass? Not at all. The change in music is a liturgical abuse, pure and simple. The Second Vatican Council called for Gregorian Chant to retain the pride of place in the liturgy, along with Latin and the organ. All three seemed to have vanished. The New Mass is not supposed to be celebrated with poor music with insipid lyrics; it should have the same quality music as has been formally used.

Furthermore, it would be good to note that not all Catholic hymns of old have been thrown out. They are simply less common because of the ramped idea that the Mass should be perpetually modern, that the music must reflect the feel-good ideas of the day. Music directors have been calling for new music not because the old is bad, but because they want the freedom to do whatever they want within the liturgy.

The failure of beauty is not something intrinsic to the revision of the liturgy, but is part of the grand error enshrined under the title “Spirit of Vatican II.” The Council never intended for the Church to fade into the rest of the world, they wanted the world to be drawn into the Church.